


The Demon in the Pit

by totemwolfie



Series: Demons of Ironwood [9]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abduction, Alpha/Omega, Demon, Elf, Elf magic, Giant Spiders, Language Barrier, Learning to be Friends, Learning to trust, M/M, Magic, Rescue, Rock Climbing, Short Story, Sidhe, Spiders, attempted sacrifice, demons of ironwood, inferno demon, very short story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totemwolfie/pseuds/totemwolfie
Summary: Cian wakes up after being abducted during his walk home.  He finds himself in The Abyss, a horrible place of darkness and sacrifice.  But he's not alone.
Series: Demons of Ironwood [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1117452
Comments: 16
Kudos: 79





	The Demon in the Pit

“I can’t believe this is happening to me!”

The response he received was a deep rumbling growl, akin to an angry lion, but in reality was the equally angry demon hidden in the dark somewhere near him. The darkness was thick as tar and just as difficult to penetrate, even with the light he had summoned into the crystal nested in the top of the wizard’s staff he had found upon waking up. He still could barely see his hand in front of his face.

“Best to not see death coming,” he murmured.

Somewhere near him the demon grumbled another deep, irritated growl.

He didn’t know the demon, and they didn’t speak any of the same languages. At first he had thought the growling creature was a part of the darkness, come to eat the guts from his belly and rape him to death as the rumors told, but so far the demon had stayed away.

Honestly he still wasn’t one-hundred percent sure that that wasn’t going to happen, but he thought maybe they had both fallen into the same trap and were thrown into The Abyss as sacrifices.

But sacrifices to what? There were so many different stories, folk tales, and rumors that he could have guessed for days.

He gripped the staff, which he had tripped over (that, and lots of bones) when he had woken in a panic, thinking he had been blinded as he could see nothing. But the light from the crystal had proved something far more terrifying. 

If the rumors were true.

He rubbed his head, still feeling the throb from the strike he had taken from the impact of the fall, which he was lucky hadn’t killed him or broken his legs. What could he remember? He had been walking home from work; he was an assistant to a local blacksmith. He lived in the city of Dale, on the hellplane Cassonii. He had felt like he was being followed but there was a large celebration in the city for the birth of the governor’s child. He… had been walking…

Then black.

He knew where The Abyss was, not three miles out of the city. Old cults and clans still sacrificed to “The Beast That Waits” but no one has actually _seen_ the beast. He had never paid any thought to the giant, gaping holes in the ground, only heeded his parent’s warnings to never go near them because once one went in, they never came back out. And forget tracing or transportation spells, the pits were warded against such magics.

Not that he could trace or conjure such magic anyway. Sídhe did not have a lot of power to use on their own, they needed something like a wand or staff to focus it and form it. The elfish-people had spent many years breeding with humans and had seriously depleted their magical energy. Once (or so the legends told) they had been powerful mages that could conjure magic with their hands and had ruled over many plains and hells. Now they were mostly farmers; gifted in building and crafting, and were valued in war for their archery skills. None of Cian’s talents would help him get out of this situation, however. He knew few spells, and only knew how to summon light because he had been afraid of the dark as a child.

Standing in the darkness, fighting a panic attack, he realized that fear never really went away.

Many adventurers had bragged about entering the darkness of The Abyss. They returned with stories of battling hordes of ghouls and cave-beasts, others telling of the purest of darkness that light could not penetrate. Who was telling the truth and who was lying? 

Well, it turned out one of those rumors was true.

He swallowed hard as a chill crawled up his spine and tickled the back of his neck. “Were you thrown in here, too?” he whispered to the darkness.

As expected, the only reply was a growl.

“I’m gonna keep talking—“ he said shakily. “I’m trying not to freak out, because the thought of dying in here, either because something eats me or because I simply wither away and end up a husk on the ground, is really scaring me.”

He shifted the staff in his hands and used it as a walking stick, trying to find a wall or at the very least, avoid any kind of drop. He hurt all over, and there was blood in his hair from either the attack or the fall, and his palms and knees were all scraped and bloody.

“My name is Cian,” he continued as he walked in a circle, trying to figure out his surroundings, “I’m from Dale. I’m Sídhe… a plains elf. Um. Gods, I wish you knew what I was saying.”

He was greeted with silence. He equally wished the demon to have left, but he also didn’t want to be alone. Stupid, because he had no idea who this other creature was. It could very well be the monster he was sacrificed to!

He murmured under his breath and the light in the crystal went out. He couldn’t see anything anyway, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t see him.

It didn’t make sense, but his anxiety was starting to spike.

Cian walked for what he felt like was maybe an hour, and he came across nothing. No more bones, no rocks, no walls or caverns; no light or wind or sound. Absolutely nothing until finally his staff bumped something that was definitely not a rock. But perhaps just as unmovable.

A low growl told him that he had found the demon. Or had the demon found him? He was turning around at the time and the creature was just behind him.

He jumped in surprise and sucked in a loud, frightened breath. Out of instinct he struck out with the staff, but the hit was just a dull thud on muscle, and an annoyed grumble from the demon, followed by a series of words that Cian couldn’t understand.

“Sorry,” he whispered as he stepped back. Something touched his leg and he yelped. He realized quickly that it was the demon’s tail, and then it was wrapping around his wrist.

Cian couldn’t see the demon, but he also couldn't smell him. Sídhe as a species had an annoyingly bad sense of smell, but shouldn’t he be able to smell _something?_ Being an omega usually meant he could smell an alpha a mile away, and certainly by the size of the demon looming over him, this one definitely was. But what species? Was he dangerous? 

The tail that was firmly wrapped around his wrist pulled. Cian stumbled over his own feet before he followed the demon.

It was either go willingly or get dragged.

“Gods, I hope you’re not going to eat me,” he said as another shiver shot up his spine.

The tail tightened and tugged, and Cian followed the demon as he made his way through caves, or, what he thought were caves. Eventually they stopped and the tail released his wrist. Cian gripped the staff and backed up, only for his back to hit a wall.

He craned his head up. “Is there a way out of here?” He asked as he reached out to touch the cold, flat rock. 

Then, deciding to press his luck, he summoned light to the crystal. Again it was nearly swallowed completely by the darkness. However this time he could see a few a couple inches around him. First, he saw the stone wall, and then when he turned, he saw the demon.

Not having realized the large alpha was _so close_ he let out a surprised yelp. The demon muttered something in a heavy demonish-tongue and frowned down at him.

“Sorry—“ he said as he leaned back and caught his breath. “You scared me—“

The light was little and the alpha heavily shadowed, but Cian could see it was an Inferno demon. Because his day couldn’t get any worse! This demon could bite his head off with its teeth, or use its skin which was capable of burning hot to kill him very, very horribly. Or maybe it was going to keep him for… pleasure? And then food?

He must have looked distraught because the alpha frowned, muttered, and reached out to pat his head. Then he snatched the staff from him.

“Wait—!” He shouted one surprise and, before shadows could close in, grabbed the alpha by the back of his shirt. Again the demon’s tail found its way to his wrist and wrapped around it.

Cian followed the alpha around the darkness as he held the staff up high in order to observe the walls around them. He would mutter, growl, and then tug at him to keep him close. He stumbled once into the demon’s back and now he did catch a full whiff of his heavy scent, which was spicy and hot, and full of irritation. Also, very, very alpha.

After what felt like hours the demon stopped. He seemed to have found something, but Cian couldn’t see anything.

The Inferno turned to look down at him, and Cian shivered and stepped back. Then the demon turned, sank his claws into the stone, and disappeared up the wall, gripping the staff with his tail.

“Wait!” Cian yelled. He could hear the demon as it went up the wall, then it was quiet.

“You bastard—“ he snapped as he was swallowed by darkness and shadows. It was worse than before. Now he actually was all alone. He slid his hands over the stone but couldn’t do what the other demon had just done. He had claws but they couldn’t cut into stone like this and he had no idea—

 _“Sídhe,”_ rumbled a deep voice.

Cian felt his way over to where the demon had been. He was gone but… he raised his hand and flinched when the alpha’s hand touched his. It gripped his wrist and Cian was being pulled up and he found himself being tossed over the demon’s shoulder. He gasped in surprise, and held on as well as he could, as the demon began to climb.

He didn’t know how long they climbed, but it felt like hours. The darkness around them didn’t change, and this made Cian dizzy to the point that he had to close his eyes.

He didn’t think vomiting on the demon would be a good idea.

When they finally stopped it was on a ledge that jutted out less than ten feet from the wall. Cian was set onto his feet and he reached for the wall and he slumped back. Then the light from the staff ignited and, curiously, it was brighter here.

Were they getting closer to the surface?

The Inferno demon was breathing heavily and sweating. His tail was twitching and he was looking around. Now Cian could see the demon more clearly. He had deep purple skin, two sets of black horns, and was wearing torn slacks and an open cotton shirt. He wasn't wearing leather or armor like a warrior, and he wasn’t armed. Had he been jumped and taken from somewhere that he would have felt comfortable letting his guard down? It seemed like the only way to get the jump on such a demon.

Because he certainly was a warrior. He was massive, scarred, had tattoos on his chest and lower stomach, and beautiful braids. One horn was broken, the other three shiny and lovely. The alpha was absolutely attractive.

Like a Venus fly trap to a fly.

And if Cian wasn’t careful, he would be that fly.

The demon turned back to him, stomped forward, and then caged him in by placing his hands on either side of Cian. The alpha leaned in, sniffling at his neck.

Cian held his breath as the dangerous male sniffed up either side of his neck, even went so far as to lick him (which made him squeak,) and then turned his attention to the blood in his hair.

“It’s okay,” he insisted as the demon felt for a wound. “I think it’s from when they hit me—whoever they were. Stop! I’m okay—“ 

The demon had licked at the cut on the back of his head and that would not do. He tried to move away but he was trapped.

“Maybe—maybe we can exchange names,” he said to himself as the demon continued to look him over. He grabbed his hand, which had been on a crash course down his stomach, and pulled it up.

He touched it to his own chest. “Cian.”

The Inferno demon cocked his head. He pulled Cian’s hand forward and placed his palm on his bare chest. “Tarmon.”

Well, they were getting somewhere. 

Cian put a couple inches between them, eyes not leaving the large alpha’s. “Tarmon,” he said, “are you… going to hurt me?”

Even though there was a language barrier between them, the Inferno demon could easily read the omega’s scent. He was scared. Scared of him, and the rather dire situation. He wagged his tail before he again, patted the elf on the head.

And truthfully, Cian didn’t know if that meant he was safe. But he was going to take it that way. If he worried too much about both the darkness and the demon, he would certainly have a panic attack. So he nodded and swallowed, and looked around.

“Am I crazy, or is it getting cold?” He wondered out loud as he shivered. It had been night when he had been taken. How long has he been knocked out? Had they been walking all day and now it was night again? Just how fucking long had he been down here? And Tarmon?

Tarmon huffed and muttered a few words before he rested the staff against the wall and then sat down. 

Not knowing what else to do, he did the same, but not too close. With a little more light he patted down his pockets, but he found that he didn’t have his wallet or his phone. “Not enough to throw me in a pit but you had to rob me, too,” he muttered to himself. He shivered again and pulled his knees close. He was dressed in old, ripped jeans and a dirty t-shirt, and it wasn’t enough to keep him warm.

A low grumbling caught his attention and he looked up just as the alpha stood up, stomped over, and then sat down next to him. Before he could lean away he was being swept into the demon’s lap.

“Hey—!” Cian wiggled, but was held firm. The Inferno demon said something, tail wrapping around Cian’s wrist again, before he sat back, eyes on the darkness.

He really didn’t want to be in this alpha’s lap, but he also did not want to be in this hell and he didn’t want to be cold, either. At least here he wasn’t cold. And looking out into the looming darkness, he felt safer than lying on the ledge alone.

Wait, he felt safe? That was stupid. This demon could very well be keeping him around for nefarious reasons.

Nevertheless Cian fell asleep.

…

He woke when Tarmon did, the large demon yawned and his tail curled against Cian’s stomach. The elf started, then frowned and stood up and out of the demon’s lap, and off his very obvious morning wood.

The Inferno looked at him curiously, and Cian really hoped he wasn’t expected to do anything about _that_. Would he trade a blowjob for his life? If forced he would, but he didn’t want to. And he had heard horror stories of what happened when being fucked by an Inferno demon during sex when their skin suddenly heated.

 _“Cian,”_ Tarmon said with a worried, yet curious, frown.

Ah, he smelled scared. He wasn’t sure how to convey to the demon how he was feeling, but any fear of Tarmon was quickly replaced when a spider the size of a small horse crept down the wall behind the alpha and into the dim light.

Cian screeched in fear and pointed. “Holy shit!”

The alpha whirled around and jumped in surprise. The ledge they were standing on trembled and Cian felt his stomach lurch into his mouth. The spider reared up, displaying fangs and claws on the ends of its legs, and hissed.

It leaped on Tarmon and the two nearly went over the edge. Cian ran to the staff, grabbing it just as another spider dropped down, this one nearly landing on him. He yelled and kicked, knocking it over the edge.

Then it was like rain. More spiders descended, some the size of dogs, another the size of a pony. Tarmon’s skin was sizzling by now and easily warded off most of the spiders, who then turned on Cian. 

The light of the staff only deterred them so much, and he was quickly bleeding from cuts from their claws. He was able to use the staff to conjure several blasts of energy to knock the spiders away, but that kind of magic drained him badly.

The ledge had moved and was shaking, and was at a slight angle now. Cian swung the staff to knock the nearest spider away, only to have something grab his foot and he yelped as he fell—

 _Pain._ So much horrible, burning pain. He must have blacked out because when he opened his eyes again he was lying on the tilted slab of unstable rock, with Tarmon hovering anxiously over him, but making a point to not touch him.

Cian frowned before his attention was brought to his left arm, and he saw the hand-shaped burn branded into his skin. It didn’t hurt anymore, which meant it was very bad. Already it was blistering and swelling, but at least the bleeding had stopped.

And it was better than being eaten alive by a dozen spiders.

Tarmon started to speak, rapidly, and he was shaking his head while his tail whipped anxiously behind him.

Cian didn’t need to speak the same language to understand. _I’m sorry._ He sat up, dropping the staff which was in his right hand, and wiped the tears off his face. He reached up, only to have the demon step back quickly.

His skin wasn’t steaming, he was cool and safe, but he still wouldn’t let Cian touch him.

“I’m okay,” he stressed. He held his arm close and tried not to be sick at the sight of such a horrible burn. “I’m okay. Thank you.”

Tarmon growled and gestured angrily at the burn.

“I’m okay. I know you didn’t mean—“ 

The rock face slipped and Cian gasped. Tarmon grabbed him, tossed over his shoulder, and then leaped onto the wall while grabbing the staff with his tail. The ledge they had been on disappeared into the darkness and Cian never heard the impact with the ground. It was like it was swallowed.

Neither spoke as Tarmon had no choice but to climb up. It felt like hours until they found another ledge. Tarmon tested it and, finding it secure, pulled Cian down and set him on his feet.

He immediately crumpled to his knees and Tarmon let out a worried growl.

“I’m okay,” he said for the millionth time, but this time it was said through tears. “I’m just so tired of all this! I swear--I never cry. I’m just so pissed off and scared.”

A large hand touched his shoulder and the alpha attempted to soothe him by rubbing the back of his neck and then petting through his brown hair. When Cian stopped crying, the alpha looked around to make sure they were safe, then returned while taking off what was left of his shirt. 

His clothing was enchanted to not burn whenever his skin grew hot, because that would be incredibly inconvenient.

Cian watched as the alpha ripped it into shreds, and while completely ignoring his own injuries, knelt in front of Cian and held up the makeshift bandages.

He smiled and offered the demon his burned arm. To his shock, Tarmon first leaned in to lick it clean. Out of reflex he tried to pull away, but the alpha was insistent, and continued to clean it. When he was satisfied he then wrapped it.

It would take a long time to heal, and it would probably scar. 

Cian cleaned up and wrapped any other injuries he had while Tarmon tended to himself. Then he settled back against the cave wall, feeling exhausted and sore, while the alpha once again explored their surroundings to make sure they were safe.

He would climb up, but he always came back, and Cian thought it strange that he didn’t once think that the demon wouldn’t return. He had total faith that the alpha would not abandon him.

When he was tired, he stopped, and after some hesitation, Tarmon walked over to Cian. Like the previous night he sat down next to him and pulled the omega into his lap. This time the elf didn’t object or curse, instead he welcomed the warmth and sense of security.

He fell asleep quickly, and woke an undetermined amount of time later to the Inferno demon’s snores. Heavy arms were wrapped around him and the tail was around his ankle. The glow from the crystal was enough to softly light the two of them.

Then he was asleep again, and this time didn’t wake until he heard his name.

_“Cian.”_

He jumped and the demon laughed.

He was still tired, and he wanted to curl into the demon’s embrace and sleep, but he realized he had a bigger problem than that. Because of his injuries and the power he expelled during the fight, he was using more energy and magic to heal, and that meant he would need to eat and drink something soon. He could go long periods without either, but not nearly as long as the Inferno demon could. He was feeling parched, and his stomach growled.

Tarmon seemed to understand, and he frowned worriedly. They stood up and the Inferno demon picked up the staff with his tail and then looked at Cian. 

He held out his hand and Cian took it. Tarmon swung him onto his back and Cian gripped him with his legs and around the neck, careful not to choke the larger demon.

And then they were climbing. Cian closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the demon’s shoulder, doing his best to not jostle or disrupt the Inferno demon as he climbed. He did notice that Tarmon seemed to be rejuvenated, as he climbed faster than the previous times.

Maybe he just didn’t want to get ambushed by spiders again.

They found several ledges but the demon refused to stop. Cian’s arms were aching from holding on but he was not about to complain. He could feel and smell the demon’s sweat, could hear his heavy breaths. Tarmon apparently decided he was sick of this shitty situation and wanted out right now.

But there was only so much Cian could take, as dizziness took over, and he was about to beg the demon to stop when he heard wind howling and saw light above them.

Both exclaimed at the same time and Tarmon was hit with a rush of adrenaline. Before Cian could even imagine daylight they in it, climbing out of that giant black mouth, and collapsing in the grass and in bright, blinding sunlight.

They laid there for the longest time, just breathing in fresh air and letting the sunlight soak into their skin. Cian hadn’t realized he’d been crying until Tarmon rubbed his back.

He finally sat up, wiping his hands over his face, and looked down at the Inferno demon.

He smiled, big and tearful. “Thank you.”

The big demon actually blushed. He reached up, hand pausing short of touching Cian’s cheek, and instead patted his shoulder.

Cian stood up and offered the Inferno his hand. Ridiculous because Cian had nowhere near the strength the other demon had, but he helped pull him to his feet anyway.

He thought about looking for his wallet and phone, but being here, even in daylight, creeped him out, and he just wanted to go home. He looked at the large demon.

“Thank you,” he said. “You saved me.”

 _“Cian,”_ the large demon sighed. He reached out and patted him in the head before suddenly tracing away.

Cian exhaled loudly. It wasn’t like there was much else to say. He picked up the staff and started to walk towards the city of Dale, about three miles away. It was going to be a very long walk home, but he didn’t care. He was in the sunlight, the air was clean and there was a breeze, and he couldn’t have felt luckier to be alive. 

When he reached his apartment he had to stop and ask for a new key from his landlord, and also had to explain his appearance and why he was locked out. He also found out that he had been gone for four damn days.

The landlord, an elderly goblin, promised to change his locks as soon as possible, and enchanted the door so no one could get inside until then. She also promised to keep an eye out for anyone who may have followed him home. He thanked her and when he was inside he made sure he was alone and hadn’t been robbed, then he went to shower.

After that he cleaned his wounds, adding a special healing salve to them, and then pulled on his most comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt. He went into the kitchen and threw out any leftovers because they were now officially too old to be eaten, and made himself something quick because he was really feeling it now.

He heated up a can of soup on the stove, while making a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it. He sat on the floor in the living room to eat. He forced himself to not inhale his food and get sick, but when he was done he rummaged through the cabinets until he found a box of brownie mix.

Perfect.

He made those, and after eating too many, curled up on the couch to sleep.

Cian woke up twice with a start; first thinking he had heard spiders, and the second time it was because his neighbor had slammed their door. By this time it was dark and he felt an anxious shiver, and he quickly closed the curtains and turned on the lights.

…

The next morning Cian cleared things up with his Berserker boss, who, after hearing about his abduction, had swelled with rage and was determined to “find the bastards and mount their heads on the outside of the shop!” Cian was just happy he hadn’t lost his job.

Walking home at night brought with it a whole new awareness, and he was always armed, and always listening. Honestly, he was paranoid as fuck.

He had nightmares often.

On Friday night he stopped at the tavern closest to his apartment. He needed to relax. His friend was bar-tending and so he found himself a seat at the bar and they chatted whenever Raven had a free moment. 

Cian was thumbing through his new phone, just waiting until Raven could come back and chat, when the stool next to him slid out and a familiar scent hit him.

Hot and spicy, with a relaxed, heavy scent of cinnamon.

He turned his head and gasped. “Tarmon!”

The Inferno demon grinned at him. He looked good—really good. He was wearing leather pants and an open vest, and he had polished his horns and re-braided his hair. He was armed with a massive broadsword and had a leather satchel at his side. He wore gold cuffs on his wrists and there were gold rings decorating his dark horns.

 _“Cian,”_ he rumbled happily.

“Ah, I see what you found,” piped a female voice. Another demon, a smaller beta Smoke demon, joined them. She looked the elf over. “He’s been looking for you.”

Cian blinks. “Me? Why?”

Tarmon rumbled a couple sentences and the other demon translated, “He felt bad for leaving you so abruptly. He came back but you had already started home. So he went and found the cult members who captured both of you.”

Cian almost spilled his drink. “You found them? How?”

With the other demon helping to interpret, Cian learned that Tarmon had been set up by a rival and that’s how the cult managed to capture him. After following his tracks to make sure he had made it back to Dale, Tarmon had traced home to get his weapons and had gone hunting. He found the cult and killed them all, cutting off their heads and burning their compound to the ground. He threw all the evidence down into the pits.

“He’s been trying to find you to give you a prize from his hunt—and I can tell by your face that you’re thinking you’re about to get a bag of heads!” The Smoke demon cackled loudly.

Cian’s eyes were wide. “I-I’m not, am I?”

Tarmon grumbled as he pulled out a heavy leather pouch from the satchel and dropped it on the bar. 

“Once he told me he was looking for an omega Sídhe, I told him he could _not_ give you a bag of heads,” she said as she grinned at the large Inferno demon. “So he’s giving you this, instead.”

Cian looked at the large demon before he pulled the pouch over and opened it. Inside it was heaped with gold, silver, and many rings. No doubt the spoils of his hunt. He looked up in surprise. “I can’t—!”

Tarmon rested a large hand on his shoulder and spoke softly. The Smoke demon translated, “He says you saved his life. Had you not been there, to lighten his way and give him strength, he would certainly still be in that hell.”

Cian blushed up to the tips of his pointed ears. “Th-then how about I buy you both a drink?”

“Hell yes,” the female demon said as she sat on Cian’s other side and tried flagging down the bartender.

Cian looked at Tarmon, who was gazing at him thoughtfully. He saw the demon’s eyes sweep over his left arm, covered by the sleeve of his jacket. Cian nodded, and the demon pushed up his sleeve to reveal a healing burn mark that was definitely going to scar. Thankfully it didn’t appear to be scarring on the exact shape of a hand.

Tarmon grumbled. “He is very sorry,” the female explained.

“I told him it’s okay,” Cian said with a little laugh. “You saved my life. A lot. And I know you didn’t mean to burn me.”

“He’s still sorry,” she said. And to demonstrate, the Inferno demon leaned down to kiss the wound.

Cian blushed again. Where were those drinks? Did they order? He turned and caught his friend’s attention and ordered a round for them.

 _“Cian…Friend,”_ Tarmon said in with a very heavy demonish accent.

Cian made a surprised sound and the Smoke demon laughed. “Suddenly he wants to learn the common tongue. Can’t figure out why,” she hummed as she picked up her mug and took a long drink.

Cian did the same before he looked back at the large alpha. How incredibly strange. He had seen and experienced first hand the damage such a demon could do, but Tarmon had proven that he wasn’t some raging, out-of-control beast; he was thoughtful and smart and very loyal. The Inferno demon could have left him. He could have killed him, or hurt him; he could have let Cian fall to his death when the spiders came. But he hadn’t. He didn’t expect anything back, and in fact, he was still giving.

“That’s good,” he said finally. “I’d like to get to know each other better. Be friends.”

His words pleased the demon and a heavy purr momentarily rumbled in his chest, before Tarmon was taking a long chug of his drink.

Cian felt the demon’s tail wrap around his ankle and it was strangely comforting. He looked at the demon again, and knew that he was drawing other attention. That people whispered about him, that they wanted to know why Cian would willingly let such a dangerous demon sit so close and touch him. But he didn’t care, because none of them knew what they had gone through together, and how Tarmon had been so incredibly kind to him.

And he had slaughtered those that had abducted them both, and Cian knew he would sleep better now and not be as worried on his walks home.

He smiled to himself, and ordered them another round.

**END.**

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I've been quiet. I just haven't felt like being. But I did write this. And it's short and pointless, and it shockingly has no smut in it (I hope I didn't disappoint,) but it was fun to write. Also, the tags suck because I had no idea how to label this or rate it. Thanks for reading. xoxo Stay healthy.


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